Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Hawassa and Cebu

For one person, living is cheaper in Hawassa: $834 a month against $918 in Cebu, rent and utilities included – about $1,000 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Cebu outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

41

Cost of Living Index in Hawassa
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Hawassa Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Cebu
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Cebu Living Index

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Hawassa

🇪🇹 Ethiopia

$834

/mo nomad

Cebu

🇵🇭 Philippines

$918

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Hawassa and in Cebu

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Hawassa and in Cebu actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $834 in Hawassa versus $918 in Cebu.

Hawassa $834
Cebu $918

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,199 in Hawassa versus $1,409 in Cebu.

Hawassa $1,199
Cebu $1,409

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,564 in Hawassa versus $1,900 in Cebu.

Hawassa $1,564
Cebu $1,900

Living in Hawassa costs roughly 9% less than in Cebu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both cities sit below the global median: Hawassa 38% lower, Cebu 32% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.90 ETB 625

$3.09 ₱194

26.21%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$42.11 ETB 6,758

$24.22 ₱1,525

73.86%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.56 ETB 1,054

$3.92 ₱247

67.35%

Cappuccino

$0.95 ETB 153

$2.51 ₱158

-62.15%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.63 ETB 102

$1.59 ₱100

-60.38%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.69 ETB 110

$0.53 ₱33.43

30.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.83 ETB 133

$1.78 ₱112

-53.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.30 ETB 370

$2.17 ₱137

5.99%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.07 ETB 172

$1.92 ₱121

-44.27%

White Bread (500g)

$1.17 ETB 188

$1.36 ₱85.4

-13.97%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.01 ETB 163

$1.01 ₱63.5

Eggs

$1.58 ETB 253

$2.03 ₱128

-22.17%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.40 ETB 1,188

$9.86 ₱621

-24.95%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.07 ETB 1,616

$4.39 ₱277

129.38%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.09 ETB 1,458

$7.60 ₱479

19.61%

Apples (1kg)

$5.35 ETB 859

$3.30 ₱208

62.12%

Banana (1kg)

$0.68 ETB 109

$1.39 ₱87.8

-51.08%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.13 ETB 341

$2.33 ₱147

-8.58%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.66 ETB 106

$1.50 ₱94.3

-56.00%

Potato (1kg)

$0.50 ETB 80.5

$2.36 ₱149

-78.81%

Onion (1kg)

$1.06 ETB 169

$1.90 ₱119

-44.21%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.69 ETB 110

$1.19 ₱74.9

-42.02%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.57 ETB 91.3

$0.63 ₱39.71

-9.52%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.18 ETB 1,312

$3.00 ₱189

172.67%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.55 ETB 891

$6.03 ₱379

-7.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.66 ETB 106

$1.23 ₱77.7

-46.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.28 ETB 206

$1.75 ₱110

-26.86%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.25 ₱15.86

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.64 ₱796

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.31 ETB 210

$0.77 ₱48.62

70.13%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.27 ETB 42.86

$0.23 ₱14.53

17.39%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.03 ETB 326

$4.46 ₱281

-54.48%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.92 ETB 147

$1.31 ₱82.8

-29.77%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$54.6K ETB 8.8M

$21.2K ₱1.3M

157.06%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$56.4K ETB 9.0M

$19.1K ₱1.2M

194.42%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$202 ETB 32.5K

$120 ₱7,569

68.16%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$7.21 ETB 1,158

$14.00 ₱882

-48.50%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$213 ETB 34.2K

$27.54 ₱1,734

674.26%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.33 ₱2,035

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.65 ₱419

Cinema Ticket

$3.84 ETB 616

$5.65 ₱356

-32.04%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$136 ETB 21.9K

$275 ₱17.3K

-50.50%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$30.2K ETB 4.9M

$7,918 ₱498.5K

281.90%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$33.37 ETB 5,356

$49.33 ₱3,106

-32.35%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$70.7 ETB 11.3K

$25.24 ₱1,589

180.15%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$78.6 ETB 12.6K

$77.0 ₱4,846

2.10%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$83.6 ETB 13.4K

$57.2 ₱3,601

46.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$500 ₱31.5K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ₱19.4K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,078 ₱67.9K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$615 ₱38.7K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,886 ₱181.7K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$494 ETB 79.3K

$1,917 ₱120.7K

-74.22%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$346 ₱21.8K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

18.5

7.2

156.94%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Hawassa: October 10, 2026

Last update for Cebu: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Hawassa

$423 50.6%

Cebu

$162 17.6% 61.7% $261

Groceries & Markets

Hawassa

$205 24.6%

Cebu

$206 22.4% 0.3% $0.5

Clothing & Footwear

Hawassa

$120 14.4%

Cebu

$94 10.2% 21.6% $26

Eating Out

Hawassa

$76 9.2%

Cebu

$88 9.6% 15.6% $12

Sport & Entertainment

Hawassa

$7.7 * 0.9%

Cebu

$44 4.8% 469% $36

Getting Around

Hawassa

$2.6 * 0.3%

Cebu

$16 1.7% 490% $13

Accommodation & Living

Hawassa

- * 0%

Cebu

$309 33.6%

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $42.00 in Hawassa vs $24.00 in Cebu. Groceries flip the comparison at $205 vs $206, with Hawassa cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇪🇹 Hawassa

🇵🇭 Cebu

🕒 Local time

05:15 5:15 AM

10:15 10:15 AM

5 h ahead of Hawassa

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

160,000

964,169

💱 Currency

Ethiopian Birr ETB Br

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 ETB = 6.23 USD

1,000 ETB = 5.54 EUR

100 PHP = 1.59 USD

100 PHP = 1.41 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PHP, USD, EUR to ETB – Ethiopian Birr Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇹 Ethiopian Birr (Br)

Ethiopian Birr exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 160 ETB (1,000 ETB = 6.23 USD). 1 EUR = 180 ETB (1,000 ETB = 5.54 EUR).

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 62.96 PHP (100 PHP = 1.59 USD). 1 EUR = 70.78 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

USD to ETB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Hawassa Cebu 9,370 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Hawassa
Cebu

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Hawassa vs Cebu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Hawassa is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and leisure. The 10% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $1,252 in Hawassa and $1,377 in Cebu to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Supermarket bills run roughly 0% higher in Cebu. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $834 per month in Hawassa versus $918 in Cebu – a 10% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

Either city works on $1,200 a month, though Hawassa gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

For families, Hawassa is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Cebu, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Hawassa and Cebu are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Hawassa gentler on the wallet – expenses run 10% less than in Cebu. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.